New Research Says Poor Posture in Adults Leads to Nursing Homes

Poor Posture, Scoliosis and Nursing Homes

New research is indicating that the shape of your spine could be a clue that you’ll need help with daily activities when your older and that you may end up in a nursing home. With scoliosis or curvature of the spine being the leading indicator older people will need help with daily activities.

In the study, researchers at Toho University in Japan measured the spinal posture of more than 800 participants (58 percent female) 65 years of age and older using a computer-assisted noninvasive device for calculating the architecture of the spine.

Spinal posture changes with age, but accumulated evidence shows that good spinal posture is important in allowing the aged to maintain independent lives,” study authors stated in a press release.

They pinpointed a spinal angle called the trunk angle of inclination, which is between true vertical and a straight line from the first thoracic vertebra in the neck to the first sacral vertebra in the lower spine, as the one most likely to predict the need for help with daily activities like bathing, eating, and dressing in old age.

When seniors with the trunk angle of inclination in their spines begin to depend on others, home assistance or nursing home admission may follow, the researchers said. A followup with study participants four and a half years after they were first measured found that:

More than 15 percent were dependent on help with daily living activities.

More than 7 percent had died.

Participants with the most severe angle of spinal inclination were more than three times more likely to become dependent on others.

So what is the best way to maintain a normal and balanced posture?

Posture and NUCCA

NUCCA has been shown to balance the heavy head over the center of the spine and the center of the pelvis leading to equal weight distribution into the feet and normal and balanced posture.

So find out today if your head is on straight before it’s too late!

To find an upper cervical doctor in your area go to NUCCA.org or if you are in the Apple Valley, Minnesota area to schedule your NUCCA consultation and evaluation, click the button below: